As a designated seller on the B.C. Hockey League trade market, Mike Hawes admits his Prince George Spruce Kings might look a whole lot different to the Coliseum faithful when they play their first home game of 2016 next Thursday.
The BCHL roster deadline is 8 p.m. on Sunday and Hawes won't hesitate to trade his highest-profile players to other teams for the rest of the season if it's going to make the Spruce Kings stronger next year.
Now 17 points out of a playoff spot and sporting the second-worst record in the 17-team league, the Kings (9-27-0-2) are already making plans for next season, knowing their rebuilding project has so far been a dismal failure under new head coach Chad van Diemen.
"Right now I'm listening to offers for some of our guys, there are definitely teams in our league and in other leagues that are interested in some of our players and as part of my job I'm responsible to listen to those offers and decide if accepting one of them makes our team better," said Kings general manager Mike Hawes.
"It's not hard to figure out which of our guys may or may not be available but when you have the record we have, changes are kind of imminent.
"Some of the older guys have underachieved this year and, with the transition we made with the franchise with the (new) coaches, some guys we had to move out of here early on who were having trouble with that transition and that had an effect on things."
The Kings' top three pointgetters - Adam Brubacher, Corey Hoffman and Bryan Basilico - are the most likely to have new addresses by next week. Brubacher, a 20-year-old defenceman, has exceeded expectations since joining the BCHL from junior B in Elmira, Ont. He leads the Kings in scoring with 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points in 39 games and other teams are no doubt interested in the six-foot-three, 205-pound veteran.
Hoffman (10-17-27) and Basilico (10-13-23) are both committed to NCAA Division 1 teams for next season. Hoffman has signed with Cornell University and Basilico is going to Lake Superior State.
Their firepower up front could help teams gearing up to take a run at the playoff table.
It's highly unlikely either Prince George goalie will be part of the weekend flurry of transactions.
Liam McCloskey, 17, inherited the starting job in net when the Kings traded 20-year-old Sam Tanguay to the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for future considerations. Joseph McLeod, 18, was called up from Castlegar of the KIJHL to replace Tanguay.
The Kings won't likely part with their younger assets - the likes of McCloskey, Nik Ponak, Cavin Tilsley, Parker Colley, Jarod Hovde and Kyle Johnson, who have all blossomed as BCHL rookies.
"The future looks bright when those young kids have had good seasons, they've been playing in situations because of our record where they're getting bigger minutes than they normally would and that will bode well for us in the future," said Hawes.
The Kings started the new year last weekend with a pair of road losses - 4-3 in Coquitlam and 7-1 in Langley. Saturday in Coquitlam they gave up the winning goal to Express shooter Taylor Green with 25 seconds left in regulation time.
The following day in Langley, they went into the second intermission down by only a goal but allowed the Rivermen to score five in the third period.
This weekend, the task is even more difficult with three games in three days, starting Friday against the last-overall Surrey Eagles (7 p.m. start). Then it's off to Coquitlam Saturday (7 p.m.) and then to Chilliwack to play the first-place Chiefs on Sunday (5 p.m.).
Still nursing injuries are 20-year-old Kings forwards Jake LeBrun (broken clavicle) and Braiden Epp (knee strain). LeBrun saw his surgeon Wednesday and won't be ready to take contact for another five weeks. Epp has been skating but still has a couple weeks to heal.
